The practice of ranking public entities is not widespread in Italy. Although assessmentsof the quality of public services are made more and more often and the demand for publicaccountability is growing, neither local governments nor hospitals and local health agenciesare ranked in official lists.In this context, Universities are an exception: the paper first discusses what are the causesof this different treatment. The metrics used to rank Universities and the effects of themethods are then analysed. This discussion allows to highlight how the purpose and thedestination of the rank influence the whole process. Some references to the internationalpractice are also given.One more aspect which is considered concerns the effects of rankings on the highereducation institutions (HEIs). The variables used to rank institution are de facto assuming therole of key performance indicators. The strategy of each institution is therefore stronglyinfluenced by centrally stated factors: this raises a question on the feasibility for Universitiesto develop their own plans and competitive strategies.